Dispensing device for bookmatches and the like



Dec. 20, 1960 E. SILVIA 2,965,264

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR BOOKMATCHES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 4, 1958 4 Sheets$heet l v INVENTOR. EDMUND SILVIFI HTTURNEY Dec. 20, 1960 E. SILVIA 2,965,264

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR BOOKMATCHES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 4, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EDMUND SILVIFI HTTURNEIY E. SILVIA Dec. 20, 1960 DISPENSING DEVICE FOR BOOKMATCHES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 4, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lrlvvllilil Fifiltllllil IIIIIIIIIII I'll-I l INVENTOR.

5| LVIFI EDMUND HTTURNEY Dec. 20, 1960 E. SILVIA 2,965,264

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR BOOKMATCHES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 4, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. EDMUND SILVIFI HTTURNEY United States Patent DISPENSING DEVICE FOR BOOKMATCHES AND THE LIKE Edmund Silvia, 330 W. 55th St., New York, N.Y.

Filed Aug. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 752,698

1 Claim. (Cl. 221-257) This invention relates generally to dispensing devices, and more particularly has reference to a dispenser adapted for holding a quantity of match books, for example, cigarette packs or any other articles in a vertically disposed stack, with the dispenser being designed to facilitate the dispensing of the lowermost match book of said stack, so that it will be disposed conveniently to be removed from the dispenser by a user.

Ordinarily, dispensers are of somewhat expensive construction, and are usually intended to be kept in use more or less permanently. It is true that disposable dispensers have heretofore been devised, of course. Nevertheless, due perhaps to a relatively costly construction of said disposable dispensers, they have not, so far as is known, found widespread commercial favor.

In view of the above, one object of importance is to provide, in one form of the invention, a single use, fully disposable match book, cigarette pack or the like dispenser that can be manufactured at a cost the same as or only slightly higher than that required for manufacture of the ordinary carton in which match books are sold.

Another object is to so form the dispenser that it can be used as the carton in which the match books or other articles are sold.

Another object is to facilitate the opening of the dispenser by the ultimate user, in a manner to oui"kly ada t the same for regular dispensing use, after it has served as the carton in which the match books or the like were confined while awaiting their actual sale.

Another object of importance is to provide a match book dispenser of the character stated that will he, in even its disposable, single-use form, equipped with a dispensing slide of novel construction, so designed that on movement of the slide to a forward or extended position, a single match book will be engaged thereby and will be shifted outwardly so as to be supported in a condition in which it will be conveniently disposed, ready for use.

Another object is to provide a single use dispenser which, though adapted for serving as the carton in which the match books were originally sold, and though further designed to have the mentioned dispensing slide, will nevertheless be capable of manufacture from only two pieces or blanks of inexpensive cardboard material, readily cut to shape and folded to produce the finished article.

Another object, in another form of the invention, is to provide a more permanent type of match book dispenser, that will be designed to utilize, an association with a vertically extending container, a forwardly projecting support tray which will be disposed adjacent the dispensing opening of the container, in position to receive a single match book from the lowermost end of the stack.

Still another object, in yet another form of the invention, is to provide a dispensing slide which will tilt automatically after being moved forwardly part way to its dispensing position, said slide tilting during the last stage of its movement to a dispensing position, in such a way as to elevate the dispensing match book so that it will be conveniently removable by the user.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser according to the present invention, a lid being shown in chain dotted lines in raised position and in full lines in its lowered or closed position, and a dispensing slide being shown in full and dotted lines in its closed and dispensing positions respectively.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the same scale as Fig. 2, on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 1, portions being broken away, the match books being shown in dotted lines, the lid being shown in full and dotted ilnes in closed and partially open positions, respectively, the dispensing slide being shown in full and chain-dotted lines in closed and dispensing positions, respectively.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the dspensing slide is formed, the scale being reduced below that of Figs. 2-4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, on the same scale as Fig. 4, through the lower end portion of the device, substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the contain-er body is formed, parts being broken away.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified construction.

Fig. 9 is a transverse or plan sectional view of'the modified form, on line 99 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view on line 1010 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line 11-11 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view, portions being broken away, of another modification.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view, the scale being enlarged slightly above that of Fig. 12, on line 13-13 of Fig. 12, a dispensing slide being shown in full lines in its normal, recessed position, in dash-dotted lines in an intermediate position, and in chain-dotted lines in its full dispensing position.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of the dispensing shown in Fig. 12.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-7 the dispenser is particularly adapted to be formed from inexpensive, disposable material such as comparatively thin cardboard on which suitable advertising legends, etc., can be imprinted. This form of the invention is designed, in fact,

to be usable as the carton in which the boo-k matches,

for example, are initially sold. Ordinarily book matches are sold in a rectangular, conventional carton having a removable lid. The carton has no adaptability for use as a dispenser, except in the sense that any container is a dispenser when the lid is removed and access is had to the contents thereof.

The present invention, however, supersedes the ordinary carton, and can be the carton in which the match books are sold. In these circumstances, the carton initially is completely closed as in full lines in Fig. 1. After the carton has been sold with the housed book matches, it can be suspended from a wall surface, or for that matter can be allowed to stand upright upon a flat, horizontal supporting surface. Thereafter, each time a match book is desired, the dispensing slide is pulled from the full line to the chain dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, in a rii'afririe'rsuch as to dispense a single match book at a time.

Of course, after the contents of the device have been exhausted, the dispensing carton need not necessarily be disposed of. Rather, it can be refilled due to having a lid at its upper end adapted for movement to open position to permit refilling of the same whenever desired.

I With these characteristics of the invention in mind, it is appropriate to note that the dispenser or dispensing carton constituting the present invention includes a vertically elongated container of rectangular cross section, said container being formed from a blank of readily foldable, inexpensive stock such as cardboard, the blank initially being shaped as in Fig. 7.

The cross-sectional shape and area of the container are such as to permit the same to accommodate, comparatively snugly, a single stack of match books, alternately arranged as shown in Fig. 4.

The vertically elongated container includes a front wall 12, side walls 14, 16, and a back wall 18. Side wall 16, along one edge, has over its full length (see Figs 3 and 7) a flange 20, which is foldable into position against the inner surface of back wall 18. Flange would be coated with adhesive as shown at 21 in Fig. 3, thus permanently closing the container over its full length.

A lid 22 is integrally formed on the upper end of the container, being hinged along a fold line 23 (Fig. 7) to the upper end of back wall 18. Lid 22 has depending side flanges 24 and a front flange 26, and if desired, the lid can have an upwardly struck, integral tab 28 to facilitate grasping of the lid when it is to be moved from its normal closed position shown in full lines in Fig. l to its open position shown in dotted lines in the same figure of the drawing.

Integrally formed on the lower ends of walls 14, 16 are rectangular flaps 30, 32 respectively (Fig. 7). These, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, are foldable inwardly into superposed relation, with the front portions of the flaps being in direct, face-to-face contact and being adhesively connected as at 33. A back fiap 34 integrally formed on the lower end of back wall 18 is foldable forwardly between flaps 30, 32, and is adhesively connected at its opposite faces, as at 35, to the flaps 30, 32 This provides abottom wall for the container, said bottom wall being constituted by flaps 30, 32, and 34.

Generally designated 36 is a dispensing slide. In blank this appears as in Fig. 5. Dispensing slide 36 includes a rectangular main portion 38 adapted to overlie substantially the entire area of the bottom wall. Integrally formed on the front end of main portion 38 is an upwardly folded, upwardly tapering front end wall or handle 40. Integrally formed on the back end of main portion 38, and projecting upwardly as shown in Fig. 4, is a rear abutment 42 comprised by a transverse lip adapted to engage the back of the lowermost match book M of a stack of said books.

Main portion 38, at its rear end, is integrally formed along its sides with upwardly projecting, triangular side walls 44. These are of right-triangular configuration, with their sloped surfaces facing to the front, said sloped surfaces declining forwardly.

Front wall 12 is cut away at its lower end to form a transverse dispensing opening 46. In height, this is lower than the walls 44. Therefore, when slide 36 is moved forwardly to its dispensing position, the sloped front surfaces of side walls 44 will ultimately engage the top edge of dispensing opening 46 as shown in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 4. This limits the forward movement of the slide beyond its proper, dispensing position. When the slide isin said dispensing position, the lowermost match book will be almost completely exposed, and can be readily grasped and removed.

Of course, the dispensing action occurs by reason of the fact that lip 42 engages the back of the lowermost match book and moves the same forwardly with the slide during the movement of the slide from its full line to its dotted line position of Fig. 4.

When the slide is in its retracted position, the tapered upper end of the handle 40 may be extended through transverse, parallel slits 48 of wall 12, as shown in Fig. 1, to retain the slide in its closed position.

As will be apparent, the illustrated construction has the desirable characteristic of permitting a dispensing container to be inexpensively formed from a novelly shaped, folded blank of cheap paper stock, which can be made at a cost little greater than that required in the manufacture of a conventional carton in which match books, cigarette packs or other articles are ordinarily sold. Nevertheless, the device has desirable characteristics, producing the movement of a single match book or other article outwardly to a dispensed position.

To refill the device, of course, one need merely leave the device suspended from the wall, and by raising the lid, deposit an additional quantity of match books, cigarette packs or other articles therein.

In Figs. 8-11 there is shown a modified construction. This form of the invention is particularly designed for manufacture from sheet metal material. A single blank of material is used, but one could also manufacture this particular form of the invention from other materials, including inexpensive cardboard stock.

, In any event, the dispenser, generally designated 50 in Figs. 8-11, has side walls 52 integrally formed upon the opposite sides of and projecting forwardly from a back wall 54, the upper end portion of which is formed with a keyhole opening 56 to facilitate suspension from a nail or other support element, not shown.

Integrally formed upon the forward edges of walls 52 and projecting toward each other at the front of the container are front flanges 58 which cooperate in defining a front wall 59 having a longitudinally and centrally disposed slot 69 opening upon the opposite ends of said front wall for visual check. The front wall is cut away at its lower end to provide a dispensing opening 62 into which-slot 60 opens at its lower end.

A bottom wall 64 of the container is extended forwardly beyond the front wall to provide a dispensing tray. Bottom wall 64 is integral with and extends forwardly from the lower end of backwall 54 as shown in Fig. 11. Bottom wall 64 has side flanges'66 which are disposed in contact with the inner surfaces of side walls 52 at the lower ends of said side walls. If the device is made of cardboard or the like, adhesive would be used between walls 66 and 52 to fixedly connect the same for retaining the bottom wall or dispensing tray in its Fig. 11, horizontal position.

At its front end,-the tray is closed by a low upwardly projecting front wall 68, having triangular cars 70 overlapping walls 66. Walls 66 in turn have inwardly projecting ears 72. Adhesive connections can be employed between the ears and the side and front walls 66, 68 if the device is made of cardboard.

In this form, one merely grasps the lowermost match book or other article and pulls the same forwardly to its dispensed position in the exposed front part of the tray. A U shaped slide 65 is used in this particular form with a rear engaging lip 67 and a front finger lip 69 for pulling the lowermost article out of t e dispenser 50.

These dispensers may be designed for all type and shape articles, such as, match books, cigarette packs, dehy drated food packs, sanitary articles, etc.

In Figs. l2-14, however, there is a dispensing slide associ ted with a device which otherwise is almost identical to that shown in Figs. 8-10. This form of the invention has been generally designated 50 and is identical in all res ects to the form shown in Fig. 8, except forcertain details which will be specifically pointed out.

Thus, dispenser 50 comprises a vertically elongated, upwardly open ng container body having at its lower end a bottom wall 64 projected forwardly to provide a tray,

'said tray having a low, upwardly projecting, front wall 68 All this is identical to the first form. There is, accordingly, no necessity of discussing the remaining components, which are identical to the form shown in Fig. 8.

This form of the invention includes a dispensing slide generally designated 74 and shown per se in Fig. 14. Slide 74 may be formed of sheet metal material or stout cardboard, and is in the form of a relatively narrow strip of material extending in a fore-and-aft direction midway between the opposite sides of the tray, and having a length substantially coextensive with the tray in the fully retracted, full line position of the dispensing slide shown in Fig. 13.

Slide 74 includes at its front end a depending lip 76 providing a handle disposed forwardly of a wall 68a. Lip 76 is integrally formed on the front end of an elongated forward end portion 78, loosely slidable in an opening 79 formed in front wall 68 Front end portion 78, at its rear end, is integrally connected to a downwardly offset rear end portion 80, through the provision of an offset or vertical connecting portion 82.

Thus, it will be seen that the dispensing slide has an elevated front end portion, which is disposed above and in a plane parallel to the plane of the bottom wall of the container. The dispensing slide also has a rear end portion which is in direct, face-to-face, sliding contact with said bottom wall and which is provided at its rear extremity with an upwardly projecting rear end lip or abutment 84.

A match book is adapted to fit snugly in the space between abutments 82, 84.

Struck upwardly out of the material of the tray, adjacent the front wall 68 is an inclined tab 86, sloped in a direction downwardly from front wall 68 to provide a cam surface. This is in engagement with the underside of the front end portion 78 in the retracted, full line position of the dispensing slide.

In use of this form, the stack of match books will be supported upon the rear end portion 80, normally. Assuming that a match book is to be dispensed, one merely grasps handle 76 and pulls the same forwardly, that is, to the right in Figs. 12 and 13. The lowermost match book will be engaged by lip 84 and will be shifted forwardly to a position in which it is exposed within the tray. However, in accordance with the invention, the dispensing slide moves beyond the intermediate, dashdotted position shown in Fig. 13 to a full dispensing, inclined position shown in chain-dotted lines in this figure of the drawing.

During such movement, the abutment 82 rides up on the cam surface defined by the sloped tab 86, causing the rear end portion 80 to move onto said tab. The result is that the dispensing slide will be bodily rocked within the opening 79, tilting the match book-supporting, rear end portion upwardly to elevate the dispensed book to a position in which it is very conveniently disposed for the user, ready to be grasped and removed. To return the device to its retracted position, one merely shifts the dispensing slide rearwardly and it will move off the tab 86, again disposing the rear end portion 80 in faee-to-face contact with the bottom of the tray before the lip 84 moves back into the container proper.

As will be noted, the lip 84 is bent forwardly. The purpose of this is to cause said lip to move under the lower- In the first form of the invention, since the dispensing slide is of cardboard, the lip may fiex or bend forwardly to move under the lowermost match book in the same manner.

In all forms of the invention, there is the common characteristic wherein a stack of match books can be supported in a relatively small area, with the dispenser being adapted for suspension from a vertical wall surface if desired. Further, the construction is such that the lowermost book of the stack is readily moved to a dispensed position, without disturbance of the remaining books of the same stack.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

A dispenser for substantially flat articles, comprising a vertically extending box-like container, said container having an open top for convenient filling of the container with a stack of said articles, said container having a substantially rectangular horizontal cross section, said container having a forward wall with an opening at its lower end and alongitudinal slot extending from said open top to said opening to expose portions of said stack for indicating the quantity of said articles therein, a rigid tray integral with the bottom of the container and extending forwardly of said forward wall, said tray having a total length more than twice the width of said container between forward and rear walls thereof, said tray having a vertical front wall with a slot therein, and a dispensing slide slidably supported on said tray and movable through the slot in said front wall and through said opening, said slide having a length substantially equal to that of said tray, said slide having an upwardly extending lip at its inner end adapted to engage the lowermost article of said stack in the container, said slide having a downwardly extending lip at its outer end adapted to be grasped by a user for shifting the slide between retracted and extended positions with respect to the container, said tray including a sloped lug near the front wall thereof, the slide including two fiat striplike portions offset from each other by a vertical connecting portion, sa'd article being engageable between said upwardly extending lip and said connecting portion, said connecting portion being slidable on said lug to elevate sad slide when the slide is moved to its extended position, said slide in said extended position being then rockably disposed in the slot in said front wall to elevate to an angular position clear of said forward wall the article engaged by said upwardly extending lip for convenient removal of the article from said slide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 520,063 Kissinger May 22, 1894 562,370 Booz June 23, 1896 593,353 Flanders et al Nov. 9, 1897 1,465,902 Gould Aug. 21, 1923 1,617,689 Ramsey Feb. 15, 1927 1,900,389 Reed Mar. 7, 1933 2,076,750 Steiner Apr. 13, 1937 2,291,187 Johnson July 28, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 289,027 Switzerland June 16, 1953 

